Self-related processing removal or revision? The Buddhist theory of no-self and the mechanisms of mindfulness
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences June 7, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s11097-025-10081-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that alternative interpretations of the Buddhist no-self concept can withstand critiques of the hypothesis that reducing all self-related processing is the central mechanism of MBIs, and that these interpretations align with evidence suggesting a valenced shift in self-concepts from positive to negative is one mechanism of efficacy. |
Abstract
Abstract There is substantial evidence that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have beneficial effects for a range of disorders, though their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Prominent developers of MBIs have proposed the Buddhist concept of no-self as a core mechanism driving their efficacy. The idea of no-self has been interpreted as the process of reducing, attenuating or eliminating all senses of self – subjective, narrative, agential – across the spectrum of self-related processing (SRP). This article reconstructs and critiques four empirical arguments and one conceptual challenge to the Buddhist no-self hypothesis – that reducing all SRP is the central mechanism underpinning the health benefits of MBIs – drawn from the psychological research of Willoughby Britton and Jared Lindahl. While acknowledging that their empirical arguments, while defeasible, provide strong reasons for a more cautious approach to this hypothesis, this article argues that alternative interpretations of no-self can effectively evade these critiques. Moreover, it demonstrates that these alternative views can align with existing evidence which suggests that a valenced shift in self-concepts – from positive to negative – is one mechanism for the efficacy of MBIs.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 35
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
and 30 more in the library